Conditions at Santana in December
December: Trade Winds Take Back Control
December is where the surf season at Santana loses its shine. The average wave period drops back to 8.9s, and ENE (40%) plus NE (23%) swells once again dominate the open water, leaving only about 12% of the spectrum in the useful SSW/SW quadrant. Average swell height remains 4.3ft (1.3m), but it is mostly short-period windswell-average, punchy and often messy rather than powerful groundswell.
Wind is the clincher: NE/ENE trades blow over 93% of the time, and ideal surf wind plummets to 8%. The strong offshore flow may look tidy on the surface, but with no organised southern swell in the water, there is little to surf. Air temps average 27.3°C, water temp is 26.9°C, and rainfall drops to 0.21mm/day. December is a month to wait for a stray southern pulse-otherwise, save your energy for spring.
Average Spot conditions at Santana in December
Swell history for December
Wind history for December
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Santana during December. Based on historical data, there is a % probability of groundswell occurring this month. The chart below provides a detailed breakdown of the average wave height distribution, offering deep insights into the swell quality and surf potential you can expect at Santana for your next trip in December.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Santana for December. Our analysis shows that favorable offshore or side-shore winds coincide with surfable swell approximately % of the time. The accompanying graph illustrates the average size distribution of waves during these optimal wind windows at Santana.